Gordian III Silver Antoninianus RIC IV Gordian III 15

Monetary Context and the Antoninianus

The year 239 AD was a period of consolidation for the Roman monetary system following the violent political upheavals of 238 AD. After the rapid accessions and deaths of Maximinus Thrax, the elder Gordians, and the senatorial joint emperors Balbinus and Pupienus, the thirteen-year-old Gordian III became sole Augustus. Under Balbinus and Pupienus, the double denarius or antoninianus, which had been suspended since the late reign of Elagabalus and completely absent under Severus Alexander, was reintroduced to meet wartime expenditures. Under Gordian III, the mint of Rome dramatically accelerated production of this radiate coin, establishing it as the primary silver denomination of imperial state finance. Nominally tariffed at two denarii, the antoninianus weighed approximately one and a half times that of a contemporary denarius, with a typical theoretical weight between 4.0 and 4.5 grams. Its fineness in 239 AD hovered around 40 to 48 percent silver, alloyed heavily with copper. This intrinsic overvaluation allowed the imperial treasury to capture a substantial profit on bullion reminting. While denarii continued to be struck early in Gordian III's reign in limited quantities, the radiate piece rapidly displaced the older denomination in daily transactions and military payroll. RIC IV Gordian III 15 belongs precisely to this transformative phase, when large-scale emissions of radiates began reorganizing Roman liquidity in favour of the heavier radiate billon coin.

Production and Mint Allocation

This specific issue was produced solely at the primary imperial mint in Rome. During the early reign of Gordian III, the Rome mint operated with several organized workshops (officinae), typically thought to number six. These workshops divided reverse themes among the active production lines to maintain orderly administrative accounting and uniform visual output. Coins of RIC IV Gordian III 15 were struck on cast flans of silver-copper alloy, which were frequently prepared in open moulds or cut from flattened ingots and then hot-struck between upper and lower bronze or iron dies. The die axis for this Rome emission predominantly displays standard Roman regular alignment (twelve o'clock or six o'clock), though minor rotations were common due to manual die handling. The striking of 239 AD reflects skilled die-engraving with sharp, well-proportioned portraits characteristic of the capital's senior engravers, who captured the youthful contours of the young prince before the more standardized and mass-produced styles of his later campaigns took over.

Obverse Iconography and Attributes

The obverse of RIC IV Gordian III 15 features the bust of Gordian III facing right. The emperor is depicted wearing the radiate crown, the signature numismatic attribute of the antoninianus that distinguished it visually from the laurel-crowned denarius. The crown, associated with the sun god Sol, served as a denomination indicator denoting a double tariff. In addition to the radiate crown, the imperial bust is both draped and cuirassed, visible around the shoulders and neck. This military costume, combining the officer's breastplate with the paludamentum or military cloak, projected martial authority despite the ruler's youth. The portrait itself is distinctly adolescent, characterized by full cheeks, smooth features, and short hair, portraying Gordian III as he appeared during his second year of rule. Unlike late third-century radiates where busts are often heavily stylized or reduced to schematic linework, the die execution for this 239 AD emission preserves realistic portrait modeling adhering to late Severan artistic traditions.

Reverse Iconography and Symbolism

The reverse of the type features the standing figure of Fides, the Roman personification of fidelity, trustworthiness, and military loyalty. Fides is depicted fully draped in a stola, standing facing front with her head turned to the left. In her right hand, she grasps an upright military standard (signum), which rests vertically upon the ground. In her left hand, she carries a transverse sceptre positioned diagonally across her torso. While Fides had long been a common motif on imperial coinage, her pairing here with an upright army standard carries explicit ideological weight. Following the assassination of Gordian's co-rulers by the Praetorian Guard in 238 AD, cultivating and advertising the loyalty of both the urban cohorts and frontier legions was essential to the survival of the regime. The sceptre signifies majestic governance and legitimate imperial rule, while the standard ties that governance directly to the allegiance of the soldiers. Together, they communicated that the young prince's administration stood secure upon the unshakeable fidelity of the Roman army.

Epigraphy and Legend Analysis

The obverse legend reads IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, rendered along the outer border starting from the lower left. This inscription expands to Imperator Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus Augustus. It employs the early obverse titling of Gordian III's reign, which includes the praenomen and nomen gentilicium (Marcus Antonius) inherited from his mother's family, connecting him directly to Gordian I and Gordian II. In 240 AD, this obverse formula was gradually superseded by the shorter IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, making the longer formulation an indispensable marker for early dating. The reverse legend is P M TR P II COS P P, reading clockwise along the rim. This abbreviation stands for Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate Secunda, Consul, Pater Patriae. The inscription records four fundamental imperial magistracies and honours: High Priest, investiture with the Tribunician power for the second time, Consul for the first time, and Father of his Country. Unusually, this legend conveys purely constitutional titles rather than the name of the personification depicted, relying on the visual iconography of the standard and sceptre to identify Fides to contemporary users.

Typology and Chronological Placement

The dating of RIC IV Gordian III 15 is exceptionally secure due to the explicit magistracies recorded on its reverse. Gordian III received his initial tribunician power (TR P) upon his accession in the summer of 238 AD. His second tribunician power (TR P II) commenced at the start of 239 AD (or on the anniversary of his accession, according to competing epigraphic models) and ran through the end of 239 AD. Gordian also held his first ordinary consulship (COS) in 239 AD with Manius Acilius Aviola. Consequently, the combination of TR P II and COS dates this emission precisely to 239 AD. Within the standard cataloguing scheme of Roman Imperial Coinage, volume IV, part III, this issue forms part of the dated first series of the Rome mint. It shares its reverse legend formula with concurrent types showing Pax, Virtus, and the seated emperor, each assigned to specific officinae. RIC IV Gordian III 15 is typologically distinguished from neighboring issues by the standing figure of Fides holding both a standard and a transverse sceptre, as opposed to varieties displaying Fides holding two standards or accompanied by the legend FIDES MILITVM.

Circulation, Hoard Evidence, and Survival

Antoniniani of Gordian III's dated 239 AD issues were produced in substantial numbers and remained in broad circulation for decades across the Roman world. Because the debasement of the radiate accelerated sharply under subsequent emperors such as Decius, Gallienus, and Claudius Gothicus, coins of Gordian III possessed relatively superior silver content. As a result, early radiates of Gordian III were widely hoarded during the economic crises of the 250s and 260s AD pursuant to Gresham's Law. RIC IV Gordian III 15 is widely recorded in British, French, and Balkan hoards, such as the Dorchester and Gibraltar hoards, as well as multiple finds along the Rhine and Danube frontiers. The specimen survival rate is robust, reflecting the heavy output of the Rome mint at this juncture. Most surviving examples display moderate circulation wear consistent with protracted commercial life before being buried in the mid-to-late third century AD. Die links across known hoards indicate intensive, coordinated die pairing within the designated officina at Rome.

References

1. Coin Hoards and Hoarding in the Roman World. pp. 132-148
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire (OCRE): RIC IV Gordian III 15. ric.4.gor_iii.15
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. IV, Part III: Gordian III to Uranius Antoninus. p. 17, no. 15